Different container structures are utilized by manufacturers to ship a variety of different products to end users, which may be, for example, assembly plants. In the automobile industry, for example, an assembly plant assembling a particular automobile might utilize a number of different parts from different manufacturers. These manufacturers ship their respective parts to the assembly plant in container structures where the parts are then removed from dunnage or support members inside the container structure and assembled into a finished automobile.
Access to the product in the containers is of particular concern. Specifically, in the automotive industry, the containers full of product are positioned on an assembly line adjacent to a work area, which is associated with a particular product to be installed on a manufactured vehicle. For example, a container full of interior door panels is usually positioned next to a particular station on an assembly line where interior door panels are installed so that a line worker may easily access the door panels inside the container. The product or part is taken directly from the container and used on the line. Some existing containers are difficult to access, which makes removal of the parts therein difficult and time-consuming. For example, some containers are configured so that a line worker must walk around the container to remove parts or products from opposite ends of the container. As may be appreciated, a line worker only has a certain amount of time to install a part. Any delay in access and removal of the part from the container is undesirable.
In some automotive manufacturing plants, turntables may be provided which enable a container to be rotated. However, the installation of such turntables adds to the cost of production, takes up valuable floor space and reduces plant flexibility.
In many containers, a line worker or employee must insert or remove parts from a distal or rear part of the container. The size and/or weight of the parts or workpieces may cause stress or strain on the line worker and, more particularly, on the back of the worker when inserting or removing parts from such a container. Such ergonomically unfriendly movements may cause physical trauma, pain and other injuries that may lead to lost production time.
In some situations, in order to alleviate such stress and/or strain on his or her body, the line worker may move to the rear or opposite end of the container to remove parts from inside the container. This requires space around the container which may not be available, depending on the physical layout of the plant or facility. The length (front to back) of certain containers may be limited because the container manufacturer needs to eliminate the need for a line worker to walk around the container to remove product from inside the container. Such containers having a reduced length reduce the number of parts or products which may be shipped and/or stored in the container. The more containers needed to ship a predetermined number of parts, the greater the cost to the shipper.
In other containers, a line worker or employee must lean forward and bend down into the container to insert or remove a part or workpiece from a lower portion of the container. This movement by the line worker is ergonomically unfriendly because the line worker must lean forward and bend down and lift a part or workpiece up and over a wall of the container to remove the part or workpiece from inside the container. Similarly, when a part or workpiece must be inserted into a container, the line worker may have to lean forward and insert the part, which may be heavy, into its proper location inside the container, again experiencing ergonomically unfriendly movements. Such movements may be necessary with many top loading containers and/or containers having multiple layers or levels of parts.
Depending upon the number of times the line worker repeats this unnatural motion into the interior of the container, strain in the back, legs and arms may result. The size and/or weight of the parts or workpieces may increase the strain on the line worker. Thus, simply removing multiple parts during a work day may cause physical trauma, pain and other injuries that may lead to lost production time.
Containers which solve the difficulties identified above have crossbar assemblies which move freely along opposed tracks. The tracks may be non-linear tracks, including generally L-shaped tracks, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,004,307; 9,010,563; 9,051,112; 9,051,113; and 9,233,790, each fully incorporated herein. Other examples of non-linear tracks include generally U-shaped tracks, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,221,999; 9,422,081 and 9,382,039, each fully incorporated herein.
Some of the containers disclosed in these patents have a door at the front of the container which, when raised, keeps unlockable crossbar assemblies in an upper generally horizontally oriented portion of the tracks, thereby preventing the crossbar assemblies from falling into the generally vertically oriented portions of the tracks. However, in some applications, a door is not desirable.
In these and other containers, when the container is empty or partially empty of products, the movable dunnage supports, and dunnage suspended by them, may undesirably move inside the container during shipment, possibly creating noise and potentially damaging a portion of the container.
Accordingly, a need exists for a container without a door having generally non-linear tracks which has the ability to keep dunnage supports in upper generally horizontally oriented portions of the tracks so the dunnage supports do not fall into generally vertically oriented portions of the tracks during transport.
Furthermore, there is a need for a container which has at least one crossbar assembly which may be locked in a desired location inside the container.
There is further a need for a container without a door which has dunnage supports which may be secured in a desired location by at least one lockable crossbar assembly.
There is further a need for a selectively lockable crossbar assembly for use in a reusable shipping container which may be locked in a desired location quickly and easily by an operator.